


Skips a generation

by velocitygrass



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: M/M, Meet the Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-03-24
Updated: 2007-03-24
Packaged: 2017-11-26 05:03:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/646874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/velocitygrass/pseuds/velocitygrass
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John's and Rodney's grandfathers haven't seen each other in nearly 70 years. But they still remember...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Skips a generation

**Author's Note:**

> Content note: Mentions corporal punishment.

"This is my grandfather," Rodney said, one hand on the arm of the old man.

"Meredith McKay," he said, straightening himself on his cane, lifting up his chin and holding out his hand in a way that seemed to suggest he was very generous in allowing John this opportunity.

John took the hand, quirking one eyebrow towards Rodney, who shrugged in the universal 'Family... what can you do?' way.

Meredith McKay's blue eyes narrowed and John smiled his widest non-threatening smile.

"This is John," Rodney said.

His grandfather just kept staring at John.

"John Sheppard. You're here for our wedding."

"I'm not quite senile yet," Meredith snapped, not taking his eyes from John, who couldn't help snorting.

Rodney's mouth curved downward and he took a deep breath.

"I knew a John Sheppard once," Meredith said, still scrutinizing John. "He even looked like you."

"Beneath the charm and good looks he has an ordinary face," Rodney said.

John and Meredith both turned to glare at him and Rodney took a step back.

"That doesn't even make sense," John added, frowning.

Meredith's gaze returned to John.

Rodney sighed. "Why don't _you_ take him upstairs?" he said to John.

John nodded and turned to Meredith, "I'll show you your room. After you." He gestured up the narrow stairs.

"I don't suppose you have a lift?"

"I'm afraid not," John said apologetically.

Meredith sighed and began to climb the stairs.

~~

Rodney sent John to get his grandfather for dinner, while he stayed with John's grandfather who had arrived later that afternoon. John Sheppard Sr was as tall as John, though not quite as lean anymore, his skin rough from a life lived outside.

"I'm fine!" they heard before Meredith McKay entered, John in tow. Upon seeing John's grandfather he straightened himself again before leaning forward, his eyes narrowing. Then he scrambled for his glasses.

John and Rodney exchanged frowning glances, while John Sr began grinning. When Meredith had put on his glasses and his face suddenly fell, he began laughing.

John looked slightly alarmed now. Rodney smiled artificially and Meredith McKay's mouth turned into an unhappy grimace.

"Stop it, Sheppard!" he finally barked.

Rodney's eyes widened. "You know him?"

"I told you he looked familiar!" Meredith said, snatching his glasses away as if he didn't want to see John Sr too clearly anymore.

John smiled. "That is so cool."

Meredith huffed. John Sr chuckled.

"Where did you meet?" Rodney asked.

"His whole damn family moved to the town we lived in. Before I went away," Meredith said.

"Ah, yes, your big plans." John's grandfather looked at John and Rodney. "Even when I first met him, all he was talking about was getting out of that little Scottish hell hole."

"As if you liked it so much better. You're _Irish_."

"I fit in better than you did."

"Oh, of course you did. Every girl in town was fawning over him," Meredith said with disdain.

"Still jealous after all these years?" John Sr needled him.

"Please. You were the one who was jealous. Why else would you get me into trouble all the time?"

"I? I just threw out ideas. You turned them into plans. And you always got off easier than I did, when we were caught."

Meredith looked a bit uncomfortable at that.

"Why don't we sit down?" John asked. "Dinner must be ready by now."

"Shit!" Rodney said, then smiled mortified. "Sorry."

"We've heard worse than that, son," John Sr said mildly.

~~

Over dinner John and Rodney explained how they met and fell in love, skirting around the part about wormholes and life-sucking aliens and the sex, which neither was willing to even think about in front of their grandfathers.

"You can go sit in the living room while we clean up. Catch up on your lives," John suggested after dinner.

"Why don't we go outside, it's a lovely evening," John Sr suggested.

"All right," Meredith said unenthusiastically.

"Try not to kill each other," Rodney said.

John and Meredith glared at him. John Sr smiled. Rodney shrugged.

They sat down on the bench on the porch. Looking back they could see John and Rodney cleaning up the dishes and exchanging a kiss before going into the kitchen.

Meredith looked away.

John Sr looked at Meredith. "You're taking it better than I'd thought."

"Why wouldn't I?" Meredith said, clearly affronted. "If that's how they want to live their life. I'm happy they can," he added, bitterness creeping into his voice.

John Sr kept looking at him. "I meant because he's my grandson," he said quietly.

Meredith turned to John Sr. "I never thought I'd see you again."

"Oh, I remember. What did you say? You were going so far away that not only wouldn't _you_ ever have to see me again, our families wouldn't meet for generations to come."

Meredith stared at him. Then a smile formed on his lips. "I might have been wrong on that account."

"You could say that. This time next week, we'll be family."

They sat in silence for a moment.

"So did you marry Aileen Douglas?" Meredith asked, not looking at John Sr.

"Yep."

Meredith nodded to himself. "Did she...?"

John Sr turned to him. "Die?" Meredith nodded. "No. You can see her in a few days. She'll come with Patrick. John's father," he added for clarification.

"You're divorced?"

"We got married before I joined. Divorced a year after the war."

"You're Catholic," Meredith said astonished.

John Sr laughed. "There are a lot of things I've done in my life that aren't sanctioned by the Catholic church." He got a far away look, his face mirroring sadness and happier memories in succession.

"Ever married again?"

"No." he said. "I'm not really the marrying kind," he added with a wry smile towards Meredith.

"Yes," Meredith said, as if he knew what John meant.

"You didn't get married?" John Sr asked with a raised eyebrow. "McKay, who would have thought."

"I _did_ get married," Meredith said as if John Sr was dense. He pulled his wallet out of his trousers and extracted an old photograph. "Evie Donaldson. Back then."

John Sr took the photo. It showed a young blonde woman, flashing a bright smile at the camera. "She's very pretty."

"Yes, she was," Meredith said, taking back the photo and carefully putting it back in his wallet.

"When did she die?"

"Shortly after Meredith, I'm sorry, 'Rodney', was born. At least she saw her first grandchild."

"It must have been hard."

"Actually... we weren't very close by that point. Living under the same roof more than together. It might have been more honest to have a divorce, but it was... convenient the way it was."

"You didn't marry again either." It wasn't a question.

They sat in silence for a while, watching the sun set.

"Do you remember when we mixed up Old O'Hara's and Smith's cows?" John Sr asked suddenly, looking over to Meredith.

"Our last night out together," Meredith said, nodding. "My father wouldn't let me out of the house again after that. Clinging to authority until I left."

John Sr snorted. " _My_ father gave me the beating of a lifetime. I couldn't walk for a week." Meredith squirmed. But John Sr's face lit up in a wide smile. "But it was _worth_ it."

Meredith grinned, too. "It was your idea."

"Oh no. I just wanted to let them free. _You_ said we should switch their places."

"And I can't remember why. It would have been so much easier to just let them run. I was never again so dirty in my life."

"You cleaned up all right. Or don't you remember?" John Sr looked over to Meredith carefully.

"The pond?" Meredith said.

John Sr nodded, smiling. "You were screaming like a girl when I pushed you in."

"It was freezing!"

"It was a warm summer night," John Sr said softly.

Meredith watched his profile for a long moment. "You were naked."

John Sr turned to him. "It was warm enough for me."

Meredith held his gaze. "I was a bit... prissy back then."

They just looked at each other, faint laughter drifting to them from the kitchen.

"I have a lot of space at my place in California. You could visit me," John Sr said eventually.

"It gets very cold in Edmonton in winter."

John Sr reached out and, looking for any sign that it wasn't welcome and not finding it, settled his hand on Meredith's. Meredith turned his hand around and clasped it with John Sr's.

They turned to look at the sunset, quietly enjoying the fresh evening breeze and the warmth of their joined hands.


End file.
